The Threefold Secret to Contentment

Posted on August 13, 2012
By David Webb

Have you ever seen a horse poking its head through a narrow opening in a fence and stretching its neck just to eat from a patch of grass growing on the other side? I find it rather comical when that same horse is already standing in a field of lush green grass yet seems to think the grass beyond the fence is some kind of rare delicacy. That horse is going through an awful lot of effort to obtain its prize when a perfectly wonderful meal is right under its feet the whole time!

You and I are a lot more like that horse than we care to admit. There’s an old saying that goes “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.” What this means is that we tend to look at our neighbors and envy them, thinking they are happier than we are because they don’t experience the same kinds of problems we’re dealing with. Of course, this perception is almost always false because every family has its own set of problems. But when we let ourselves get caught up in thinking about our own difficult circumstances—our struggles, our shortcomings, our failures—it’s easy to look at other people and think, If only I had their money (or his looks or her patience), I wouldn’t be in this mess.

If anyone ever had reason to complain to God about his circumstances, it was the apostle Paul. He was a second-generation Pharisee and a respected and highly educated man, yet he found himself languishing in a dungeon in Rome because of his faith in Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, he was perfectly at peace. He wrote to his friends:

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:11–13)

Contentment is a deep, abiding peace and satisfaction that comes from knowing and loving God more every day. Are you content in your life? If not, what do you think will make you happy? A bigger family car? A nicer wardrobe? The latest iPhone? A Hawaiian vacation?

Now, most homeschooling families subsist on a single income. And we all know that having money cannot guarantee happiness. Yet for some reason many of us seem to think that our lives would be better if only we had more money, as if we are the exceptions to the rule. And so we muddle along, saying the right things but secretly believing as Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. When told that money is the world’s curse, he replies, “May the Lord smite me with it—and may I never recover!”

The apostle Paul had once owned many nice things when his name was still Saul. He had been raised the son of a Pharisee and well-to-do tentmaker. Educated in Jerusalem by the finest teachers, Saul also enjoyed the privileges of Roman citizenship. Yet for his all riches and education and status, he could not find peace. And so, against the advice and urging of his mentor (Acts 5:34–39), Saul zealously hunted down and persecuted the followers of Christ (Acts 8:1–3). But then Jesus Christ met Saul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1–19), changed his name, and set him on a new path.

Once he had lost everything, Paul no longer looked for things to make him happy:

I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ. (Philippians 3:8)

Paul had learned that the constant pursuit of possessions and accomplishments could lead only to disillusionment and despair. Joyously, he had instead discovered the threefold secret to lasting contentment.

Trust in Jesus Christ
Paul found contentment in the same place we find salvation: in Christ. Jesus is the only answer to sin, and He is the only answer to our need for peace (John 14:27). Paul’s relationship with God did not depend on what he did or did not have. His peace was based not on his circumstances but on knowing and trusting Jesus:

My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20, NLT)

[The Lord] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9–10)


Keep in mind that contentment doesn’t happen overnight. As you build your relationship with God through prayer, Bible study, and worship, you will learn to trust God more and rely on yourself less. When you trust in Christ, He will give you the strength to be content in any situation you encounter. Remember and pray the words of the psalmist: “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:25–26).

Be Thankful in All Circumstances
The book of Philippians is a letter from Paul thanking the church at Philippi for a “care package” they sent him in prison. In it, Paul instructs us:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6–7)

When you think of what God the Son has done for us—stepping down from His throne to live among us and teach us, then allowing Himself to be killed in the most humiliating way possible to pay the penalty for our sins—how can our heartfelt response be anything but gratitude? We must be thankful to God each day for who He is, for everything He created, and for His infinite goodness toward us (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Love and Comfort to Others
When we go through life discontented—grumbling, whining, doubting God, and thinking only about ourselves—we tend to hold tightly to the very things God wants us to give to others, including our time, our talents, and our treasure. But in the economy of God’s kingdom, we must give away that which we hope to gain:

Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. (Proverbs 11:24–25, NLT)

For example, God gives us comfort so that we can pass it on to others who need it:

[God] comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. (2 Corinthians 1:3–4)

Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Indeed, giving defined the ultimate expression of love: “For God so loved the world that he gave . . .” (John 3:16). When you look beyond your own problems to focus on meeting the needs of those around you, you will go a long way toward taming the sin of envy, the beast “crouching at your door” (Genesis 4:7). A true servant is just happy to serve, and envy has no place in his or her life.

... bless yourself and your family with this thought: The grass is not, in fact, always greener on the other side of the fence; grass is greenest where it is watered. When you cross over fences to serve your neighbors with love and humility and share with them living water (John 7:38), you make the grass greener wherever you go.

David Webb is the coauthor of the What We Believe series, the award-winning biblical worldview curriculum published by Apologia in partnership with Summit Ministries. The third and newest volume in this series is Who Is My Neighbor? (And Why Does He Need Me?): A Biblical Worldview of Servanthood. David and his wife, Peggy, have homeschooled their six children since 1990.

Extracted from http://blog.apologia.com/blog/2012/08/13/the-threefold-secret-to-contentment/

Be the Song You Are Meant to Be

Thanks to my sister for sharing this with me...

Yep, we are all a symphony written from above, written out of God's love.

Each of us have notes to play; we need to stay in tune and also in unison with fellow instruments.

We will then be a wonderful symphony that brings hope, comfort and warmth.

And yes, the less I get in the way, thinking I know best, the more God can let the music play.

Be the best song you are meant to be...

YOUR SONG
Music and Lyrics by Corrinne May, ‘Crooked Lines’ 2012

Silent, wordless
Everything was still
You breathed us, yearned for us
Our hearts began to thrill
A brand new creation
A symphony
Written from above
Written out of Love

Chorus:
Let me be Your instrument
Let me be Your voice
Let me be the reservoir
Where thirsty hearts rejoice
Let me be the hand
That wipes the tears away
Oh Lord,
If it be Your will
Let me be Your Song

A violin, a piano
Each one has a role
Major or minor
Or just a single note
So take the time to stay in tune
Cause we’ll never know
When we’re called to play
It could be today



A song of hope for the hopeless
A song of comfort for the pain
A song that warms the frozen heart that
It might beat again

For what am I but a single breath
That only You sustain
The less I get in the way,
The more the Master can let the music play

The Kingdom of God - For You & Others

Thy Kingdom Come from Curtis Wiklund on Vimeo.

What is the Kingdom of Heaven?
Is it to come or is it already here?

God's Kingdom or yours? It's your choice?

LIFE Box from Ryan Brien on Vimeo.

What's the big deal with the Kingdom of Heaven?
Are you letting the Kingdom of God transform you?


Amazing Grace from Bradley Miller on Vimeo.

The Amazing Grace of God and the invitation to the Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of God from Stewart H Redwine on Vimeo.

Is the Kingdom of Heaven significant?

Is it worthy?

Are we prepared?

If it's here, why is there evil around?

Are we like the Pharisees and the religious leaders then who was rebuked by Jesus? Do we deprive others of the Kingdom of God? Do we bring it to others?


Matthew 9:10-13 (NIV)
While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
 
Matthew 23: 13 (NIV)
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.

2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV)
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Faith Without Deed vs Love in Action

I read this from a devotion this week and thought it was a clear picture about faith and actions:

Imagine for a moment that you embark on a mountain-climbing expedition somewhere
in the Colorado Rockies with your good friend. At some point along the way, you
lose your footing and find yourself in the precarious position of dangling off
the edge of an icy two-hundred-foot cliff by one finger (let's make this
dramatic). You are screaming for your friend, crying out for help.

But he doesn't reach down to help you. Instead your hiking buddy
begins to eloquently intellectualize and verbalize his love toward you. He even
begins to experience all kinds of wonderful, blissful feelings about how much he
loves you and how much he will miss you when you fall to your death on the rocks
below. He tilts his head ever so slightly, bites his lip, and says, "I love you
so much. I'm just overwhelmed with loving feelings toward you right now."

Would you call that love? Of course not! You would most certainly
call that something other than love--maybe cruelty, apathy, or hatred. Yet so
often we define love as some nebulous emotion or sentimental words when in
reality, love is so much more than feelings. Love is primarily manifested
through action. Love is something you do.

I think the picture is clear (and drama) enough. God demonstrated love in action by sending His son, to be crucified and to die for our sins so we might be reconciled to Him.

James mentioned in James 2:14-26 about how faith without deed is dead.

If you profess to love God, His commands, His people, then don't stop at just proclaiming it, demonstrate it as God has done, with love and not as actions without love.

Be it uttering a prayer for someone who is in need, helping someone, going on missions, big or small, show your love for God and His people through your actions, actions filled with love.

Cracked Pots

Jason shared this story yesterday and I thought that it was a wonderful reminder how sometimes we need not be "complete" in our own understanding of things before God can use us. A lot of times, we will want to wait till we are all perfect and fine before we choose to play a role in God's plans but have the faith to know that God can use you no matter what.

Just when you think you are not making a difference, think again. You are valuable in God's eye and so can you play an instrumental role in bringing others who God treasures back to Him. Thanks Jason for the wonderful sharing of the story.

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master's house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked
pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."

"Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"

"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it
still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took
advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."

Each of us has our own unique flaws. We are all cracked pots. But if we will allow it, the Lord will use our flaws to grace His Father's table. In God's great economy, nothing goes to waste. So as we seek ways to minister together, and as God calls you to the tasks He has appointed for you, don't be afraid of your flaws. Acknowledge them, and allow Him to take advantage of them, and you, too, can be the cause of beauty in His pathway.

Source: http://www.creativeyouthideas.com/blog/devotional/cracked_pots_1.html

Lessons from Naomi & Ruth

It's funny how I am ministered to by the book of Ruth again this morning at department devotion (see Our Daily Bread article below). But then again, the word of God does have power to speak to us and minister to us. And I continue to thank God for each and every one of my colleagues and the opportunity to come together week after week, even if it is for a few minutes, to share time together in devotion and coming before God to be ministered to and to minister. I am always ministered to by the sharing as it shows how real God is in each and everyone of our lives. I always believe that where God is, lives are touched and changed.

The Book of Ruth & Ministry
Earlier, I shared how the book of Ruth has a part to play in my ministry, when God spoke to me in church during the Peter Tsukahira seminar, moments before I communicated my decision to step down from ministry to our AO. God stirred my heart and assured me how He will never leave me and asked if I would leave His calling for me. As I look back, I can say that it hasn't been easy but then I can feel God walking with me every step of the way and it is really wonderful seeing Him so real in every aspect of my life, not just in ministry.

The Book of Ruth Speaks Again
Today, the book of Ruth spoke to me yet again, more than 1.5 years later; kind of like a reminder.

Lesson #1 - It showed me how despite the bitterness and how Naomi had cried out in her human spirit about the bitterness, she has never forsaken God. Similarly, sometimes in the midst of difficulty, it may be difficult seeing and understanding from God's perspective of things e.g. death of someone close, loss of things we hold dear to, difficulty, brokenness etc but we can know "that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). We cannot explain trials because God can do so many things through it... it can be that God is refining us, it can be that God has other plans in place, it can be that we are receiving attack from the enemy and/or it can just be us paying the consequences of our sin, but we know that God is always there and will never forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). God has given us Immanuel (God with us) (Matthew 1:23) that we may have life and have it in abundance as we draw near to Him (John 10:10). A reminder how God has used the book of Ruth to minister to me about ministry and His calling. But I am glad to have stayed on in His calling and seeing that He has not forsaken me.

Lesson #2 and #3 - The other thing I have learned is how God is always in control. We see how Naomi, though having not done anything of epic proportions, has been used by God and became a spiritual impact for Ruth (Ruth subsequently became part of the genealogy of Christ, see Matthew 1). That is God's big picture of things. Recently, a friend and I was able to see how God was in control every step of the way despite difficult circumstances. I had prayed for wisdom to help in the situation and was amazed how things fell into place and how God had used me and led me through with words and verses. God is always in control and He will make a way. But even more than that, it also shows how in obedience, we also become a spiritual impact for others, no matter in big or small ways, God can work through us, as He works through Naomi and Ruth, despite Ruth being a Moabitess and not an Israelite.

Our Daily Bread
February 24, 2009
Managing The Mess
READ: Ruth 1:15-22
Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me? —Ruth 1:21

When we meet Naomi in the Scriptures, her life is a mess. She and her husband had gone to Moab searching for food during a famine. While in that land, their two sons married Moabite women, and life was good—until her husband and sons died and she was stuck, widowed in a foreign land.

Though honest about her pain, Naomi obviously had a sense of who was in control: “The Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me” (Ruth 1:21).

The Hebrew word for “Almighty” (Shaddai) indicates God’s sufficiency for any situation. The word “Lord” (Yahweh) refers to His faithfulness as the loving covenant-keeping God. I love how Naomi put these two names together. In the midst of her complaint, she never lost sight of the fact that her God was a capable and faithful God. And, sure enough, He proved His capability to deliver her and His faithfulness to care for her to the very end.

If there seems to be no way out of your despair, remember that Naomi’s God is your God as well. And He specializes in managing our messes to good and glorious outcomes. Thankfully, He is both capable and faithful. So, when your life is a mess, remember who your God is! — Joe Stowell

Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last. —von Schlegel

Stand back and watch the Lord manage your mess into a glorious outcome.

Related Post: CG Discussion: Lessons from Naomi

God Amidst Trials and Storms

Talking about trials and storms in the previous post, here are 2 accounts of people who have been through the storms of life but yet was touched by God, which in turn blessed and inpsired many others with their songs.

Horatio Spafford went through a series of tragedies in his family but yet pulls through it all with God. In the end, both he and his wife even continued to bless many others with their hands. This is his story:

On October 8, 1871, as Horatio and his wife Anna were grieving over the death of their son, the Great Chicago Fire swept through the city. Horatio was a prominent lawyer in Chicago, and had invested heavily in the city's real estate, and the fire destroyed almost everything he owned.

Two years later, in 1873, Spafford decided his family should take a holiday somewhere in Europe, and chose England knowing that his friend D. L. Moody would be preaching there in the fall. Delayed because of business, he sent ahead of him his family: his wife Anna, and his four remaining children, daughters Tanetta, Maggie, Annie and Bessie.

On November 21, 1873, while crossing the Atlantic on the steamship Ville du Havre, their ship was struck by an iron sailing vessel and two hundred and twenty six people lost their lives, including all four of Spafford's daughters. Somehow his wife, Anna, survived. On arriving in England, she sent a telegram to Spafford beginning "Saved alone."

Spafford then himself took a ship to England, going past the place where his daughters had died. According to Bertha Spafford, a daughter born after the tragedy, the hymn was written in mid-Atlantic.

After the tragedy, the Spaffords had two more children: a son, Horatio, born in 1876, and a daughter, Bertha, born two years later. Sadly, young Horatio contracted scarlet fever and died at the age of four. Then in August 1881, the Spaffords set out for Jerusalem as a party of 13 adults and 3 children and set up the American Colony.

Moved by a series of profound tragic losses, Chicago natives Anna and Horatio Spafford led a small American contingent in 1881 to Jerusalem to form a Christian utopian society known as the "American Colony." Colony members, later joined by Swedish Christians, engaged in philanthropic work amongst the people of Jerusalem regardless of their religious affiliation and without proselytizing motives--thereby gaining the trust of the local Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities. During and immediately after World War I, the American Colony played a critical role in supporting these communities through the great suffering and deprivations of the eastern front by running soup kitchens, hospitals, orphanages and other charitable ventures.

Spafford died on October 16, 1888, of malaria, and was buried there in Jerusalem.

It Is Well with My Soul


When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

(Refrain:) It is well (it is well),
with my soul (with my soul),
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
(Refrain)

My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
(Refrain)

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
(Refrain)

And Lord haste the day, when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
(Refrain)

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horatio_Spafford

You might not be familiar with John Newton but he wrote one of the songs we are all familiar with, Amazing Grace. John's account is one where God used a storm to begin to bring him back to him. Through the storm, John recognised that he could only rely on God and later worked with William Wilberforce towards the abolition of slave trade in the British Empire. This is his story:

John Newton was born in Wapping, Essex, in 1725, on July 24, the son of John Newton, a shipmaster in the Mediterranean service, and Elizabeth Newton (née Seatclife), a Nonconformist Christian. His mother died of tuberculosis when he was 6. Newton spent 2 years at boarding school, at the age of 11 he went to sea with his father and sailed with him on a total of six voyages until the elder Newton retired in 1742. Newton's father had planned for him to take up a position as a slave master at a sugar plantation in Jamaica but in 1743, he was pressed into naval service, and became a midshipman aboard HMS Harwich. After attempting to desert, Newton was put in irons and court martialed. The captain was determined to make an example of Newton for the rest of the crew. Thus, in the presence of 350 members of the crew, the 18-year old midshipman was stripped to the waist, tied to the grating, and received a flogging of 96 lashes, and was reduced to the rank of a common seaman. Following that disgrace and humiliation, Newton initially contemplated suicide, but he recovered, both physically and mentally, and, at his own request, he was placed in service on a slave ship bound for West Africa which eventually took him to the coast of Sierra Leone. He became the servant of a slave trader, who abused him. It was this period that Newton later remembered as the time he was "once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa." Early in 1748 he was rescued by a sea captain who had been asked by Newton’s father to search for him on his next voyage.

Religious Conversion
Sailing back to England in 1748 aboard the slave-ship Greyhound on the Atlantic triangle trade route, the ship encountered a severe storm and almost sank. Newton awoke in the middle of the night and prayed to God as the ship filled with water. It was this experience which he later marked as the beginnings of his conversion to evangelical Christianity. As the ship sailed home, Newton began to read the Bible and other religious literature. By the time he reached Britain, he had accepted the doctrines of Christianity. The date was March 10, 1748, an anniversary he marked for the rest of his life. From that point on, he avoided profanity, gambling, and drinking, although he continued to work in the slave trade. He later said that his true conversion did not happen until some time later: "I cannot consider myself to have been a believer in the full sense of the word, until a considerable time afterwards."

Newton returned to Liverpool, England and, partly due to the influence of Joseph Manestay, a friend of his father’s, obtained a position as first mate aboard a slave trading vessel, the Brownlow, bound for the West Indies via the coast of Guinea. During the first leg of this voyage, while in west Africa (1748-49), Newton acknowledged the inadequacy of his spiritual life. While he was sick with a fever, he professed his full belief in Christ. He later said that this experience was his true conversion and the turning point in his spiritual life. He claimed it was the first time he felt totally at peace with God.

Still, he did not renounce the slave trade until later in his life (when he wrote a tract decrying it in aid of abolitionist William Wilberforce). After his return to England in 1750, he made three further voyages as captain of the slave-trading ships Duke of Argyle (1750) and the African (1752-53 and 1753-54). He only gave up seafaring and his slave-trading activities in 1754, after a serious illness.

Anglican priest
In 1755 Newton became tide surveyor of the port of Liverpool, again through the influence of Manestay and, in his spare time, was able to study Greek, Hebrew, and Syriac. He became well-known as an evangelical lay minister, and applied for the Anglican priesthood in 1757, although it was more than seven years before he was eventually accepted and ordained into the Church of England. Such had been his frustration during this period of rejection that he had sought also to apply to the Methodists, Independents and Presbyterians, as well as directly to the Bishops of Chester and Lincoln and the Archbishops of Canterbury and York.

Eventually, in 1764, he was introduced by Thomas Haweis to Lord Dartmouth, who was influential in recommending Newton to the Bishop of Chester, and who had suggested him for the living of Olney, Buckinghamshire. On 29 April 1764 Newton received deacon’s orders, and finally became a priest on 17 June.

As curate of Olney, Newton was partly sponsored by the evangelical philanthropist John Thornton, who supplemented his stipend of £60 a year with £200 a year "for hospitality and to help the poor". He soon became well-known for his pastoral care, as much as for his beliefs, and his friendship with dissenters and evangelical clergy caused him to be respected by Anglicans and non-conformists alike. He was to spend sixteen years at Olney, during which time so popular was his preaching that the church had a gallery added to accommodate the large numbers who flocked to hear him.

Some five years later, in 1772, Thomas Scott, later to become a biblical commentator and co-founder of the Church Missionary Society, took up the curacy of the neighbouring parishes of Stoke Goldington and Weston Underwood. Newton was instrumental in converting Scott from a cynical 'career priest' to a true believer, a conversion Scott related in his spiritual autobiography The Force Of Truth (1779).

In 1779 Newton was invited by the wealthy Christian merchant John Thornton to become Rector of St Mary Woolnoth, Lombard Street, London, where he officiated until his death. The church had been built by Nicholas Hawksmoor in 1727 in the fashionable Baroque style. Newton then became one of only two evangelical preachers in the capital, and he soon found himself gaining in popularity amongst the growing evangelical party. He was a strong supporter of evangelicalism in the Church of England, and was a friend of the dissenting clergy as well as of the ministry of his own church.

Many young churchmen and others enquiring about their faith visited him and sought his advice, including such well-known social figures as the writer and philanthropist Hannah More and the young M.P., William Wilberforce, who had recently undergone a crisis of conscience and religious conversion experience as he was contemplating leaving politics.

Abolitionist
John Newton has been called hypocritical by some modern writers for continuing to participate in the slave trade while holding strong Christian convictions. However, during his early years as a slave trader he did not consider himself to be a true Christian: 'I was greatly deficient in many respects...I cannot consider myself to have been a believer in the full sense of the word, until a considerable time later."

It is true, after what he felt was his true conversion to Christianity, he continued working the slave routes for a few years, but he eventually came to repent. He later joined William Wilberforce in the campaign for abolition. In 1787 he wrote a tract supporting the campaign, Thoughts Upon the African Slave Trade.

Among his greatest contributions to history was encouraging William Wilberforce, a Member of Parliament for Hull, to stay in Parliament and "serve God where he was", rather than enter the ministry. Wilberforce heeded the ex-slaveship captain's advice, and spent the next twenty years successfully working for the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire.

"Amazing Grace"


Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That sav’d a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev’d;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believ’d!

Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promis’d good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call’d me here below,
Will be forever mine.

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Newton

Enduring Faith

Prompted to Cover Faith
I had been preparing for cell discussion this week and even though I had missed the first sermon on "Enduring Faith" but instead attended the second service on "Power of the Blood", I just felt prompted to cover on the topic of faith this week. The topic kept appearing throughout the week - at my department devotion, corporate devotion and also through what happened this week in ministry, witnessing faith in action.

What is Faith?
And so, I began to reflect upon faith in my own walk. I can hear myself asking "So, what is faith? What's the big deal about it?" In fact, faith is a very common topic in the Christian walk and I was thinking that it would be timely for us to take a closer look at it; examining it more carefully.

What have we learnt about faith in our walk with the Lord?
I have come a long way in my ministry, starting from just an ordinary cell member to being God's servant in cell ministry and having to learn to rely on Him, learning how His grace is sufficient for me and how He is in control when I let Him.

Here are some thoughts on faith, as shared by some of you during cell discussion and also some things I have come to realise over the years, walking with God:

• Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of the unseen (Hebrews 11:1);
• Faith does not commensurate with the number of years we have been a Christian; it is possible for a Christian young in faith to have more faith than a Christian of many years;
• Strong faith becomes easier to exercise and more evident during trials;

Trials, Faith & Joy
In James 1:2-4 (NIV), it is said:
2. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3. because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

When I saw these verses for the first time, I asked myself, "how can it be that one can consider it joy when facing trials? It must be crazy!" I remember during my personal and spiritual break earlier this year, I was reading from Acts and was amazed at how despite being persecuted, Paul still stood by his faith, strongly. I remember telling myself "what strong faith! I wonder why he has such strong faith?" But slowly, I have come to understand the verses as I reflect upon how God has helped me through the tough times; times which left me on my knees praying while everything was crumbling down, times which, on hindsight, helped molded me to be the way I am now. I have slowly come to appreciate the flip side of trials, even though, yes, I have to agree that it is tough.

Why Trials?
Bob Sorge describes perseverance and endurance as faith sustained over time in the midst of pressure and crisis. So that naturally leads me to ask: Why trials?

• Trials Bring Us Back to God - When I think about it, the first thing I have come to realise is that trials sometimes happen to bring us back to God.
  
  For me, life was going relatively smoothly for me. Though I was brought up as a Christian, I began to drift away from God because I felt that this was a part of my life which was not important at all since there were no big trials in my life... With success in most things I do, I became more self-sufficient until something hit me real heard. Then suddenly, I was facing career, relationship, friendship problems all at the same time. I had nowhere to turn and then God brought me a friend, who I had lost touch with for a long time, to come into my life. This friend eventually brought me back to Him. I still recall when I messaged another friend on the first Sunday I came to Riverlife, my friend replied "it took a trial for God to bring you back to Him". So take heed that sometimes, trials is a signal to go back to God.
  
  
• Trials Help Us to Rely on God - Then, I began to see how trials also help us to rely on God. Indeed, if we believe that God is the Great Almighty, the one who created everything and gave life, then why are we sometimes reluctant to let go and let God? I am very familiar with this because sometimes, when facing problems, I tend to say to God "God, I know you are big but then let me deal with this problem myself because I believe I can do it". But then, when we accepted Christ and made Him our saviour and Lord, isn't He also Lord over all, including our trials? Do we just treat Him as only a saviour or do we take the whole package and accept Him as Lord of our lives as well, trusting that He has His plans for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11)?
  
  I recall how stepping up into ministry had been one of the biggest trial for me and I had to rely on God. I recall the days when I cried about things, about how hopeless things felt, about how lousy I felt about myself because of all that is happening. I had no where to turn to and had to look up. Today, as I look back at the tough times and see how God had blessed my hands in ministry and how things started to take a turn when I stopped trying and prayed and commit it into His hands, I praise God for being there. A friend has ever shared that she had once had to deal with worry when she did not hear from her husband, who went to work overseas, for 2 whole weeks. She tried reaching him but to no avail. But yet, she could not do anything else except to pray. In the end, thank God, her husband returned the next day. It's true that sometimes, there is nothing else we can do but to look to God.
  
  I have once received a SMS that went "when facing problems, do not say 'Oh God, we have a big problem' but instead 'Problem, we have a big God!'" Believe it and proclaim it!
  
  
• Trials Brings Growth - Yet another thing I have realised about trials is that it brings growth. I am reminded how we are all "Work in Progress" and how trials provide the opportunity to mature and even critically think about what could be better in life. Ultimately, it is about growing to become the person God wants us to be.
  
  James reminded that "perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything". Through trial and perseverance, we will grow and mature to be complete and not lacking anything. In the same way, I have come to see how much I have grown as a person over the past few years as I continue to walk with the Lord; how He continued to challenged me to live a life that would honour Him. I have come to slowly overcome many problems previously faced, including my introvertedness and I have to admit that stepping up in ministry has challenged me to a higher standard of living a God-honouring life.
  
  I always believe that Christianity is not a religion but a relationship with God. And part of that relationship with God is first reconciling with God and then walking righteously with Him. I have learnt how God is more concerned with who we become and how we walk with Him more than anything else because "The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart" (1 Sam 16:7b). It is not the outward person but the real person He is concerned with.
  
  
• Trials Help Us Bless Others - Yet another thing I have come to realise is how trials are also intended for us to bless others. Several times, I saw how God has used my past experiences to help me understand others and minister to them. Though some of these past experiences were painful, God nonetheless helped me to address some of these through the sermons and NLE. As was as if I was put through a rehabilitation programme. Then God used me to minister to others. Through my past experiences, I got to be able to share with others how I have been through similar struggles and how, with God, I had been able to overcome it.
  
  
• Trials Build Faith and More Faith - Lastly, trials builds more faith. When we overcome a trial with God, it helps us build more faith in Him to overcome future trials. Just as Jason has shared, we have sometimes come to realise how God is bigger than anyone or anything else when we just be still, and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10).
  
  
• And I just realised that the cell had a similar discussion of trial here: how trials bring people closer back to God, how trials prepare one for ministry, how trials indicate the devil is trying to put a stop to you responding to God's call and how trials may also indicate something is spiritually not right.
  

Trails are here to stay
It's interesting how some of us sometimes feel awkward that as Christians, we face trials too. But trials are certain to stay in our lives because James 1:2 says "whenever you face trials of many kinds" not "if you face trials of many kinds". Trials are certain and it is not surprising that Christians face trials. But what is different is that, as children of God, we are certain that God is with us and in control as long as we seek Him and His will. He will bring us through it all.



Still
Hide me now
Under your wings
Cover me
within your mighty hand

When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with you above the storm
Father you are king over the flood
I will be still and know you are God

Find rest my soul
In Christ alone
Know his power
In quietness and trust

How do we build faith?
I have thought through it and at the end of the day, the way which has worked for me is to (i) know God, (ii) see God at work in our lives and (iii) living daily with God; having the Holy Spirit with us. We need to know who God is, how real He is and live each day with Him.

It seems that to grow in faith, we need to know God's character, who He is and how He sees us. We need to know who we are in God's eyes and how much He cares for us and wants the best for us before we can grow faith and trust in Him. After all, isn't that how we grow trust and faith in others? We need to be more "God-aware", knowing how real He is in our lives, watching over and blessing us, through daily thanksgiving. Finally, we need to live God-honouring and righteous lives, having the Holy Spirit with us. As we continue to walk closely with God, we will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and His prompting.

Luke 8:22-25 tells us how Jesus calms the storm. Jesus had told his disciple to go to the other side of the lake. As they sailed, Jesus feel asleep and a storm came. The disciples panicked and When the storm came, the woke Him up, only to have Jesus asking them about their faith. Indeed sometimes, we can be like the disciples; despite having Jesus on board, they had little faith. It would be different when we know who is in the boat with us and know who He is and how He has seen us through our days.

As we wrapped up cell, I sensed that as we shared about our past struggles and how God brought us through it all, we are reminded how we all stand as testimonies of how God has worked in our lives, including how God even sent timely word to us during those tough times to comfort us and assure us, be it through Our Daily Bread, the bible or even through a bible verse in a colleague's diary. Many of you shared how this happened many times for you and indeed God sees you in your trials. He knows and comforts.

The Choice
If you want to build faith, build a relationship with God. If you have yet to do so with Him, do so today. Faith is a choice; when trials come, do not look around but look up.

Devotion: Another Chance

Hello everyone, sharing some notes I compiled from a staff devotion which we had recently :D hope it blesses you.

August 18, 2008 Another Chance READ: Philemon 1:8-19 [You] have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him. —Colossians 3:10

For almost 100 years, a huge piece of flawed Carrara marble lay in the courtyard of a cathedral in Florence, Italy. Then, in 1501, a young sculptor was asked to do something with it. He measured the block and noted its imperfections. In his mind, he envisioned a young shepherd boy. For 3 years, he chiseled and shaped the marble skillfully. Finally, when the 18-foot towering figure of David was unveiled, his student exclaimed to Michelangelo, “Master, it lacks only one thing—speech!” Onesimus was like that flawed marble. He was an unfaithful servant when he fled from his master Philemon. But while on the run he came to know the Master Sculptor. As a changed man, he served God faithfully and was invaluable to Paul’s ministry. When Paul sent him back to Philemon, he commended him as one “who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to you and to me” (1:11). He asked Philemon to receive Onesimus back as a brother (v.16). Paul knew what it meant to be given another chance after past wrongs (Acts 9:26-28). He knew personally the transformation God can accomplish. Now he saw it in the life of Onesimus. The Lord can chisel His image on our flawed lives and make us beautiful and useful too. — Albert Lee Christ takes each sin, each pain, each loss, And by the power of His cross Transforms our brokenness and shame So that our lives exalt His name. —D. De Haan Our rough edges must be chipped away to bring out the image of Christ.

A Timely Message
For me, the passage seem like a timely reminder because the last weekend, my church celebrated its 17th anniversary but more significantly, it is also the 3rd anniversary of my coming back to Christ after 15 years of walking away from Him. 3 years ago, God has shown grace to me despite having backslided for a long time. But God has, in His time, paved the way and brought me people to bring me back walking with Him. So now, everytime the church celebrates its anniversary, I am reminded of His mercy and grace.

"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found..."

A Changed Person
The past 3 years had its many ups and downs. But then as I stood there at my church's celebration and as the song "Amazing Grace" was sang, I reflected and am reminded how so much has changed; about how He has helped me to deal with past hurts, called me to ministry, bless my hands and guided me in ministry, help me feel secure in Him (even during trials) and how He has also helped me slowly understand who He is and realises the power of His word as He continue to speak to me through it:

"...Was blind, but now I see.

T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved...

...Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come;
'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home. "

Romans 8:28
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,[a] who[b] have been called according to his purpose." says Romans 8:28 (NIV).

I strongly believe that sometimes certain things happen for a reason, just as how God has used my experience and past trials in helping me understand people and minister to them. I am not sure about it but then reading from Philemon, it seems that it was for a purpose that the slave left Philemon; that he become saved? Because in verse 15-16 it mentioned "Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for good— no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord." So, Philemon's slave might become saved and became a "dear brother" and "a brother in the Lord".

Just like how God has Saul became king (1 Sam 9) and how subsequently David became king (1 Sam 16), I have come to realise how many many things have happened in my life for a reason. God has His purpose for things (though sometimes it seems so tough to endure):

Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV) "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV) There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven

Bearing the Wages of Wrong
As we discussed devotion today, I am reminded how I am likened to the rebellious slave in the book of Philemon, who ran away from his master. But he met Paul who later wrote a letter back to his friend Philemon to ask for him to accept his slave back and that

"if he [the slave] has done you [Philemon] any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me [Paul]" Philemon 1:18 (NIV)

To me, it was as Christ had did, taking on our sins onto the cross for our forgiveness. Romans 6:23 (NIV) reminds us that "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord". Just as Paul as asked for forgiveness for Philemon's slave, so is Christ interceding for us:

"Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them." Hebrews 7:25 (NIV)

Blessed to Bless
And upon reflecting on my walk, God not only saves, forgives but also blesses us and work through us so as to bless many others...

For me, it was first a call back and then the call to minister to others.

Jer 29:11 (NIV) "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Genesis 12:3 (NIV) speaks of the Abrahamic Covenant and about our call in also bringing people back to Him after the fall. "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

God has a purpose for everyone to ultimately play a part in reconciling more and bringing more into His kingdom. Be it through directly serving in ministry in church or through the marketplace, God has given each and everyone of us SHAPE(Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, Experiences). 1 Cor 12 speaks of how we are all different and each have its gift and that these gifts are given by God for the common good of building the body of Christ...

Romans 12:6 (NIV) "We have different gifts, according to the grace given us."
1 Cor 12:7 (NIV) "Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good."

So we do have SHAPE and a purpose in the kingdom of God. A purpose that does not stop at only God's people but for us as well, just as the sculptor, in today's devotional reading, envisioned a sculpture of a young shepherd boy, despite it being a huge piece of flawed marble. It became the renowed Michelangelo's sculpture of King David. (Picture: source)

What's the Response?
Interestingly, nothing much was mentioned about what happened in the end; what's the response of the master and importantly of the slave too. It really makes me wonder... did the slave change? Did he, in the end, become "useful" (Philemon 1:11)? What about the master? Did he exercise grace and accepted the slave back? What about us? Are we like the slave? Do we recognise that we can go back to God and that Jesus is interceding for us? God is calling, are you listening? Do we believe that we can be greater in God with His purpose and vision of us? Do we change to become better after the return? What about exercising grace? Is there anyone who we need to exercise grace, just as Paul has received grace from God (having been a Pharisee and persecuted Christians) and showing grace to the slave? What would you do if you are the master?

To me, this is a short, yet meaningful book on second chances, forgiveness and grace. It's a small book (just 1 page in the New Testament) that I would have missed but just as the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15, this is as Phyllis has put it, a more impactful book about returning to forgiveness.

The Heart of Evangelism

To the Ends of the Earth


Love unfailing
Overtaking my heart
You take me in
Finding peace again
Fear is lost in all you are

And I would give the world to tell you're story
'Cause I know that you've called me
I know that you've called me
I've lost myself for good within your promise
And I won't hide it
I won't hide it

Jesus, I believe in You
And I would go, to the ends of the earth
To the ends of the earth
For you alone are the son of God
And all the world will see
That You are God
You are God

Amazing Love


I’m forgiven because You were forsaken,
I’m accepted, You were condemned.
I am alive and well, Your spirit is within me,
Because You died and rose again.

(Chorus)
Amazing love,
How can it be
That You, my King, would die for me?
Amazing love,
I know it’s true.
It’s my joy to honor You,
In all I do, I honor You.

Making a Difference


Won't you Lord take a look at our hands
Everything we have, use it for Your plan
Won't you Lord, take a look at our hearts
Mould it, refine it, as You set us apart

(Chorus)
We want to run to the altar and catch the fire
To stand in the gap
Between the living and the dead
Give us a heart of compassion
For a world without vision
We will make a difference
Bringing hope to our land

You Laid Aside Your Majesty



You laid aside Your majesty,
gave up everything for me.
Suffered at the hands of those you had created.

You took away my guilt and shame,
When You died and rose again.
Now today you reign,
and heaven and earth exalt you.

I really want to worship you my Lord,
You have won my heart and I am yours.
Forever and ever, I will love you.
You are the only one who died for me,
Gave Your life to set me free.
So I lift my voice to you in ador - a - tion.

Beautiful Saviour


Jesus, Beautiful Saviour,
God of all Majesty,
Risen king,
Lamb of God,
Holy and righteous,
Blessed redeemer,
Bright morning star

All the heavens shout your praise,
All creation bow to worship You

How wonderful, how beautiful,
Name above every name, exalted high
How wonderful, how beautiful,
Jesus your name, name above every name, Jesus

I will sing forever, Jesus I love you, Jesus I love you

Hi everyone!

Thanks for being a part of cell yesterday and for participating. I do not know how it was for you but personally for me, it was a wonderful time of worship, sharing, learning the heart of God and most importantly seeing how God works.

Prior to the start of cell, I kept praying because I am always nervous about facilitating cell and I also confess that I am no expert in the area of evangelism; I was worried that the discussion will not take off. But, in no time, I have come to realise how everything came together so nicely, including the choice of worship songs, the preparation, the verses to be shared, the people brought together to share and edify, icebreaker, fellowship and discussion. Everyone played a part in making a difference yesterday and I thank God for everything, including our sister Min Qin, who has not forgotten about us and prayed alongside with us as well (Hello there Min Qin!!!)

Anyway, would like to share my thoughts on our discussion on evangelism yesterday. Feel free to share your comments too as we edify one another on.

The Struggle with Evangelism
Have you ever thought about what evangelism is about? Why evangelism? What emotions does it trigger when we talk about evangelism? What is the big deal about it?

For some, when one talks about evangelism, thoughts such as:

• "others can do it"
• "i'll try my best"
• "sian ah, again? It's that time of the year again?!"
• "huh? I do not know what to say?"
• "people may think I am pushy, better don't share"

It becomes very clear that evangelism seems to be something which people struggle with; not only Christians but also pre-believers, some have their "memorable" experiences with who they described as "pushy" Christians.

What's the Big Deal about Evangelism? Why Evangelism?
But, I am not here to judge whether being pushy is right or wrong. Let's take a step back and the question that keeps coming to mind is: What's the big deal about evangelism? Why evangelism? We all know the Great Commission in Matthew 28:

18. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20. and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

But then, what's the big deal? Why do we need to evangelize?

Did not the bible say in Ephesians 4:11-13:

11. It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12. to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13. until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Me? An evangelist? No no, I think you are mistaken... I struggle with even talking to people, let alone evangelism. I have checked the dictionary and according to dictionary.com, some of the definitions I get about evangelism is that it is about "zealous preaching and dissemination of the gospel" (note the word "zealous"). But yet, aren't the disciples of Jesus also told to be witnesses?

Acts 1:8 - "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

In fact, in the end, not only the disciples but even the many people who encountered Jesus after his resurrection became his witness:

Acts: 13:27-31 - 27. The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. 28. Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29. When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30. But God raised him from the dead, 31and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people.

Acts 10:41-43 - 41. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

"You May be the Only Bible Someone Ever Opens"
So there may lie the starting point of it all, witnessing. Consider your life after knowing Christ, what is different? For me, it becomes very clear how much life is different and purposeful and how God is so real, after coming back from backsliding for close to 15 years. It was a great contrast. For many of us, we have life stories of transformation by Christ and that maybe where you can start; your life story, your testimony. Because, ultimately, that is something that people cannot dispute and you yourself know it very clearly.

Think about it, what is the bible all about? It is more than a storybook but bears the stories of many "spiritual mentors" (as Pastor Benny Ho might call them) who shows the way and share their testimonies with you. It is a book of spiritual journals of many, the testimony of the power, love and faithfulness of God, trying to bring people back to Him and a chronicle of God's instructions and commandments to His people who He cares and love for (maybe that's why some call the bible "Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth). You yourself can be one such testimony and a walking bible, as you reach out to many others to share your story, of the power, love and faithfulness of God and of His principles for you. I love it the way someone puts it: you may well be the only bible that someone ever opens.

How did you come to know Christ? Chances are that someone has taken the step, directly or indirectly. Hence, you can be that someone who makes the difference too.

Keep Walking
Frankly, I have found that recounting your testimony is not only beneficial to the one your are reaching out to, but also serves to remind us of how real and faithful God is. We can be like the Israelites who quickly forgets how God had delivered them from Egypt or we take account of our testimonies of our walk with the Lord, just as how Moses had instructed the Israelites to:

Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the desert when I brought you out of Egypt." (Exodus 16:32)

and Joshua had instructed for 12 stones to be collected from the middle of the Jordan as a reminder to future generations of how God had brought them across the Jordan river (Joshua 4). Once reconciled with God, we will need to constantly be reminded in our spiritual journey, how God has been so real in our lives. So use your testimonies to edify and encourage yourself and others, including pre-believers and believers. This is also why I am encouraging you all to keep accounts of your thanksgivings and testimonies because through that, you would edify yourselves.

The Heart of Evangelism
But yet, that only explains part of the question and being a walking bible to edify yourselves and others would be a good "by-product", if I may use the word, of witnessing. The question is still why witness?

2 Corinthians 5:11-21
The Ministry of Reconciliation

11. Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. 12. We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. 13. If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14. For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

16. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18. All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19. that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

If you have followed the discussion on what the Christian faith is about, you would have realise that the Christian faith is not about a religion or a ritual but it is a relationship with God who created you. And God's heart is to reconcile you to Him as He would also like to reconcile many others to Him.

So now that we know God's heart for you and everyone else; that it does not stop at your reconciliation with God, but with continues with growing in righteousness through Christ-like living and also with the ministry of reconciliation with God. Another way of looking at it is this: Psalm 34:8a tells us to "taste and see that the LORD is good". Once you have tasted to see that the Lord is good; once you life is being transformed, do you not want to share the good news with others? It is just like they say: "if you have found the cure for AIDS, will you not share with others?"

What will you do now since you know the heart of God for you and the lost? 2 Peter 3:9 also reminds us how God loves everyone and does not want everyone to perish but to come to repentence. I will always remember the turning point in my ministry when I started to realise how God has placed in my heart the burden for people's spiritual growth and how I have come to realisation during one service when I prayed for a teenager who so desired to draw back to God and I teared with him as we prayed. And this burden just came from the Lord because I remembered how I started my ministry and felt it so much as a burden more than anything else but things changed and the burden was placed in me.

So a summary at this point in time.

Why witness? I see it as:

• because this is God's heart and we have been called into the ministry of reconciliation;
• because the process of witnessing helps us to continue to be God-aware in our lives
• because we may well be the only bible others may open

What Helps in Evangelism?
So what helps? For me, relfecting upon the times when God brought someone to reach out to, I have found that the following has helped me in responding to that prompting:

• Knowing the heart of God for you and the lost (as discussed earlier)
• Be God-aware and thankful; being convinced of God's "realness" and goodness (1 Thessalonians 5:18 and as discussed slightly under "Keep Walking")
• Being ready to share (2 Timothy 4:2) and to engage in spiritual warfare, especially with prayer (Ephesians 6:18-20). Spiritual warfare is real as I would testify of the things which happened to me the moment I took up cell leadership and as many missionaries will testify.
• Being obedient - God may send someone to you but you need to be aware of the prompting and willing to act
• Believing that God is in control - One of the things which has helped me feel less uptight about evangelism is how I have come to realise that evangelism is (i) taking the initiative to share Christ with another, (ii) in the power of the Holy Spirit and (iii) leaving the rest to God. Realise that you are not alone in this and that God is with you. If His heart is for reconciliation, what more will He help you to reach out to others at the right time? I have come to realisation about how God is in control during the times:
• I see how He has provided me opportunities after opportunities to share about Him and sometimes it was even initiated by others who I would less expect to ask about Him and some from other faiths
• at a missions trip in 2007 when I realised how everything is in His hands and things just clicked together so well,
• how several times His words ministered to me including one time when someone suddenly felt prompted to send me an sms which just said "1 Cor 15:58" (this person seldom sms me) and it was timely reminder, seconds after i ended an upsetting sms with another person, how He spoke to me from Isaiah 41:10 when I was on the verge of giving up on my ministry and several other times when God just prompted me to send verses to people,
• His word speak to me week after week and how He continue to uphold the cell during a time it was undergoing crisis
• How He used my past circumstances and experience to minister to others
• How he comforted and guided me through an outreach to a friend from a cult
• How he put words into my mouth to encourage people when necessary
  
  and that's just touching the iceberg. Recognise you are not in this alone and it is partnership with God. Again, I thank God for the 2 timely verses given to me through my sister from Our Daily Bread; one about the ministry of reconciliation (discussed above) and one from yesterday's devotion on following Jesus first and then becoming Fishers of Men; the emphasis here is not about the skills (this you can get from practice, books and Christian Education courses like "Becoming Fishers of Men") more than who you follow.
  
  And yet, another good devotion which ministered to me was from the "Our Daily Bread" devotion on 30 July 1997 on how likened to baking a cake, we can simply mix the ingredients but the oven is the one which bakes the cake, not us.
  
  So trust that God is in control and can use you, your experiences, circumstances and a variety of people to reach out to His people. And with regards to different styles of evangelism, I believe in Romans 8:28 and believe that God will send different people, different circumstances to help draw people back to Him, and sometimes a person may be ready and might need a little push. So everyone has a part to play, just that we need to pray about it and discern how we should work in partnership with God.

What Evangelism is NOT?
I think it might be good to also remember what evangelism is not. In my opinion, evangelism is:

• NOT Conversion of people but rather bringing people back in reconciliation with God, through repentence of sin which later brings about restoration of relationship with God. As we have shared yesterday, a relationship with God develops when a person goes into church and the church goes into the person.
• NOT about numbers, quotas, membership
• NOT merely about events and programmes
• NOT rushing headlong, spewing out bible verses indiscriminately
• NOT about how "I am more holy than you"

If it is anything, it should be done out of love and concern for another. Pray for God to put in your heart people who you can reach out to and reveal to you how you can do so. Someone has once said, people do not care how much you know until they know how much you care. And if you are looking for a guideline to help you, why not start with something which Riverlife uses: Pray, Care, Share and Invite. You can always start with your testimony and genuinely care for the person and when the Spirit prompts and provides the opportunity, share and invite them.

A Vision for the Cell
I have previously shared how God had placed a vision in my heart how this cell is to reach out to the people who are struggling, backslided and been misled and let's start praying that God will continue to do His work in this cell and let us continue to want to play a part in His work to bring people back to Him. With Easter coming, pray for people who God has set in your heart to be able to receive Him, pray for opportunities to share and invite people, pray for the people preparing for the event, pray for spiritual covering and for hearts to be ready to receive God.